Ploetzhof-altes Gefängnis am Baderbach

The prison was financed and staged in 2020 as part of a Leader project by the current owners Fam. Burgschwaiger, Katharina Langmaier from the Fuschlseeregion Tourist Association, and the municipality of Hof bei Salzburg, under Mayor Thomas Ließ. The #ploetzhof is one of the oldest buildings in the municipality of Hof, as the basement, built on rock, was erected from rough stone in the early 16th century. Through a trapdoor and down a steep staircase, one can descend into the dungeon. During a visit to the #ploetzhof, it is possible that a prisoner is currently serving his days in the dungeon until his court hearing. Chained, hungry, and lonely. Prisons of this type were formerly called "Keichen", a name derived from the Middle High German word "kichen" (=to breathe heavily). A Keiche was thus a place that took one's breath away. Such Keichen served both for the detention of remand prisoners and for the execution of sentences. Convicted persons who could not pay a fine had to atone in the Keiche. Supervision was the responsibility of the bailiff or Keichenmeister, who received a precisely defined Keichengeld for each prisoner. Who was imprisoned here and what was a prisoner's daily life like? Where was the responsible court located? To answer these questions, it is best to visit the #ploetzhof. The #ploetzhof is located on the Baderbach; in a few minutes' walk, you reach Seestraße, turn left into the forest, and shortly after, you reach the old Baderbachmühle. If you follow the path, you come to a narrow footbridge that allows a view down into the gorge and leads past a waterfall at arm's length. According to oral tradition, the bodies of executed people were supposedly thrown from the prison into the raging stream and washed away over the waterfall – a very gruesome but improbable story. No evidence has ever been found that death sentences were carried out here. In 2024, a bridge over the Baderbach was installed below the #ploetzhof as part of the LEADER Project II, thus creating a picturesque connection from the impressive old prison to the Baderbachmühle. This now allows visitors to explore three Points of Interest (POIs), namely the #ploetzhof, the mill, and the waterfall, in a short walk.

Opening hours & season

• 01.01.2025 – 31.12.2028daily10:00–18:00